Broadcasting Trends
We’re reaching the end of our third generation of Bible teachers who have used broadcasting to spread their message beyond the doors of their home churches, and many of these legacy Pastors are facing important questions about succession and longevity, both from inside and outside their ministries!
When you’ve watched or listened to the same program for two decades or more, it can be difficult to think of anyone else as your Pastor, and yet it’s natural to wonder if a ministry can be sustained once their leader retires or goes to be with the Lord.
Why This Matters
It’s easy to assume a message is only relevant if the speaker is alive, but the fact is, God’s Word is as powerful and life changing today as it was the day it was written.
It’s amazing to think that a message that affected your grandmother can have the same impact on your children. There’s something about drawing from classic works that have stood the test of time and allow us to understand a principle on a deeper level.
Eaglecom believes legacy ministries can live on in messages once delivered if that is God’s will. It’s vital to seek and follow God’s calling. If He wants you to continue airing messages, it’s important to assure listeners and viewers that the ministry is being led carefully into the next phase and is still worth supporting.
You may be surprised at how many donors stay with a ministry, and how many new supporters appear, even years after the legacy Pastor has passed.
Next Step
In Touch Ministries is an example of a ministry that has worked through this process over the past few years, making critical decisions about direction and leadership before the passing of Dr. Charles Stanley in April. Click here to learn more about their process and how they’ve decided to move forward.
If your organization is facing tough decisions soon, we want to encourage you that it’s okay to combine respect for the past with forward thinking.
Pray for God’s guidance as you revisit your ministry’s purpose, develop new ways to release messages, and strategize how to move people from the “man” to the “message.”
Photo by In Touch Ministries